Quetta : Global Entrepreneurship Week was celebrated by Pak-US Alumni Network (PUAN) Quetta Chapter, on Sunday.

A panel discussion was held by PUAN-Quetta chapter to discuss topic of entrepreneurship in a local hotel of Quetta.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is celebrated from 17th to 24th November around the world.

Gul Khan Naseer, President of PUAN-Chapter, Moderated the discussion.

“This time around Global Entrepreneurship Week is being celebrated in over 160 countries of the world which is a major feat,” said Mr. Naseer

Panelists of the discussion included Shakoor Baloch, provincial Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), Shahida Wali, executive member of Quetta Chamber of Commerce and a women entrepreneur and Ameer Saadat, Assistant Professor University of Balochistan and PHD degree holder in Marketing from UK.

“Youth in Balochistan should focus on entrepreneurship rather than looking for government jobs,” said Shakoor Baloch.

Elaborating the activities of SMEDA, Mr. Baloch said that different trainings are imparted to students of Universities in Balochistan to enable them to be successful entrepreneurs in future.

Expressing his frustration, Provincial Chief of SMEDA said that there is not much enthusiasm for Entrepreneurship in Balochistan at the moment.

In response to a question, Mr. Baloch clarified that SMEDA is not a financing agency and it does not provide any kind of loans. “We only provide technical and legal support to the aspiring entrepreneurs,” he added.

Shahida Wali said that starting an entrepreneurial activity is not very difficult but initially it requires great deal of sacrifice.

She lamented that woman entrepreneurs face greater difficulty in form of looking after their household while running their business.

Ameer Saadat apprised the audience about the web based resources available to potential entrepreneurs. He urged all entrepreneurs to take full advantage of all available resources which are available free of cost.

“Entrepreneurship is a skill inherent in Human nature and that’s why youngsters should focus on entrepreneurship,” said Mr. Saadat.

Shazia Ahmad Langau, General Secretary of PUAN-Quetta chapter, also spoke on the occasion and emphasized on the need to promote entrepreneurship in Balochistan.

Entrepreneurs among the audience members also shared their experiences and urged other people to enthusiastically consider entrepreneurship.

Panel discussion was followed by a question answer session in which audience members asked questions relating to entrepreneurship.